PV/Thermal as Promising Technologies in Buildings: A Comprehensive Review on Exergy Analysis

Kamel Guedri, Mohamed Salem (), Mamdouh El Haj Assad, Jaroon Rungamornrat (), Fatimah Malek Mohsen and Yonis M. Buswig
Additional contact information
Kamel Guedri: Mechanical Engineering Department, College of Engineering and Islamic Architecture, Umm Al-Qura University, P.O. Box 5555, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Mohamed Salem: School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Nibong Tebal 14300, Penang, Malaysia
Mamdouh El Haj Assad: Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering Department, University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 27272, United Arab Emirates
Jaroon Rungamornrat: Center of Excellence in Applied Mechanics and Structures, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Fatimah Malek Mohsen: Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Department, AL-Mustaqbal University College, Hillah 51001, Iraq
Yonis M. Buswig: Institute of Sustainable and Renewable Energy ISuRE, Faculty of Engineering, University Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan 94300, Sarawak, Malaysia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 19, 1-16

Abstract: Solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems are degraded in terms of efficiency by increment in their temperature. To keep away from efficiency degradation regarding the temperature increase, various thermal management techniques have been introduced to keep the temperature low. Besides improvement in electrical efficiency, the overall efficiency can be enhanced by using the extracted thermal energy from the cell. The extracted heat in these systems, known as PV/Thermal (PV/T), can be applied for some purposes including water or air heating. This article reviews the works on the PV/T systems exergy analysis and discusses their findings. Based on the findings of the reviewed works, different factors such as the system configuration, used components and elements, and working conditions affect the exergy efficiency of these systems. As an example, use of coolants with improved thermal features, i.e., nanofluids, can cause improvement in the exergy efficiency. In addition to the nanofluid, making use of the thermal energy storage unit can further enhance the exergy efficiency. Furthermore, it has been observed that the materials of nanostructures can be another element that influences the enhancement of exergy efficiency. Moreover, the usage of some components such as glazing can lead to avoidance of thermal energy loss that would be beneficial from an exergy point of view. Finally, according to the reviewed works and knowledge of the authors, some suggestions are represented for future works in this field.

Keywords: PV/thermal; solar energy; exergy efficiency; solar radiation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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